Storage battery container



Aug. 15, 1933. c. J DUNZWElLER 7 1,922,082

STORAGE BATTERY CONTAINER Filed Aug. 5, 1929 111v enfqz Patented dingo l5, i933 FHQE Willard Storage Battery (Company, Cleveland, @hro, a Corporation of Application August 5, 197290 2 Glahns.

This invention relates to a battery box or con-=- tainer, such as the rnulti-cornpartment containers coninlonly made from suitable acid-resistant materials, such as rubber or bituminous composition.

The principal object of the invention to provide a battery container having its end walls so formed as to provide ease of handling, particularly in ii 2g the heavy completed battery, also to provid equisite strength without any excess length i over-all end to end dimensions and whereby may fit snugly in a cradle or han er whose ends will be flush with the ends or" the container without requiring any excess length in the cradle.

The above object is attained very effectively by the con -Vr construction embodying the present inve' non, which may be here briefly described as consi ng in a certain novel container form ich will be described in the specification and set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompany n sheet of drawing, v perspective view of my improved container; and Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View.

The container may be formed of the usual or any approved acid resistant materials and is molded in one piece from the material when in plastic form. It may be formed of rubber or bituminous composition or or other material which answers the requirements.

As is customary, the container is rectangular in shape, having side walls 10 and end walls ii, and, as the container is usually for a multi-cell battery, it is provided with cross partitions 12 forming compartments at the bottom of each of which are transverse bottom rests 13 indicated in Fig. 2. All of these parts are, or course, -formed integrally when the container is molded.

The side walls are preferably provided with side panels 10 and the end walls with end panels 11 these panels extending upwardly from the bottom, the side panels higher than the end panels to conserve material. The side and end walls above the panels are reenforced by greater thickness and the reeniorcement is carried down at the :four corners for a given distance alongside both the side and end panels, as indicated at 14, the upper thickened wall portions merging with the lower thinner wall portions by beveled portions 14 which are at and adjacent the four corners of the container between the side and end panels.

The end walls 11 are provided somewhat near theiop of the container and above the end panels 11 with handheld recesses or depressions 15 the. tops of which are formed preferably with a square Serial No. 0053 451 shoulder to be engaged the fingers of the hands in lifting the battery. These depressions extend inward somewhat deeper than do the depressions formin on end panel li it is highly desirable that these handhold depressions 15 be above and separated from the end panels, and, accordingly, there is provided between each handhold cepression and the associated end panel a horizontal rib or bar is serving asa strengthening bar for the end wall, this bar extending from one thichc5 ened corner portion to the other.

A point to be noted is that the handholds are not ion ed by outward projections from the Jails as heretofore but, on the other hand, op portion of each end wall, including the part above the handholcl, the strengthening bar 16 beneath it, and the portions immediately to the side of the handhold and strengthening bar, all one plane. These upper portions of the walls adapted to snugly against inner faces of the end walls of a cradle or hanger, with the result that the battery has the utured closeness of ht the cradle to eliminate overnent therein, and a cradle mininunn dimensions can be utilized. Of course the upper 39 tldclrened portions of the side wa ls of the con= are adapted to engage the inner faces of t e sides of the cradle so as to provide a i" therein all around.

Additionally, so-called stub handles 1? are pro vided at the top edges oi the end walls, the outer faces of these stub handles being flush with the outer faces of the end walls. These stub handles have a two-fold function. First, they provide bearings adapted to be engaged by the battery hold-downs (the middle portion of the top surface of the stub handles beingsomewhat de= pressed so that the hold-downs may rest securely thereon); and second, they assist materially in enabling a good lifting grip to be had on the container by the one lifting the battery. In the latter connection it might be stated that these stub handles project up slightly above the cell covers of the two end compartments so that the one lifting the battery can do so readily by placing his fingers in the handheld depressions 15 and engaging the inner sides of the stub handles with the thumbs of his hands. with out these stub handles or upward extensions on the end walls it would be necessary for the one lifting and carrying the battery to do so by the use of the ends of the fingers alone, but by making it possible to get a good grip on the container by the use of "both the ends of the fingers and the thumbs, the necessity for greater lifting sur- 1w face to be engaged by the fingers and, therefore, outwardly extending handles or handle extensions on the end walls is eliminated. Furthermore, in providing a stub handle which extends for an appropriate distance above the top edge of the battery container, a good thumb grip is provided without need of the .operators thumb coming in contact with the sealing compound.

I may provide, if desired, in the end walls immediately above the handhold depressions, sockets or depressions 18 to receive the ends of a battery lifter or carrier, such as a bail.

The above container has been developed as the result of extensive use of containers whose end walls were difierently formed, and it has been found by practice to have equal or greater strength than the best battery containers heretofore used; provides ease of handling equal to or greater than that provided by special handles either secured to the container or formed by integral handle extensions which increase the overall length of the container; conserves the material from which the container is formed; and can be tightly fitted into a supporting cradle with the proper provision for receiving a battery holddown. All these results have not heretofore been attained with any battery container of which I am aware.

s top edge of the container and having a stub handle portion projecting above said top edge for hand grip and battery hold-down purposes, said thick upper portion having a handhold depression therein below said top edge and also having extensions depending on opposite sides of said panel portion to reinforce the corners of the container, said upper portion also having a rib portion extending transversely below said handhold depression and joining said depending extensions, said upper portion including said stub handle portion, said depending extensions, and said rib portion all being of substantially the same uniform thickness. 7

2. A storage battery container having end walls each provided with a depressed panel portion and a relatively thick upper portion extending between the top of said panel portion and the top edge of the container, said thick upper portion having a handhold depression therein below said top edge and a stub handle hold-down portion projecting above said top edge and adapted to cooperate with said depression for hand grip purposes, the spacing of said depression and stub handle being such that the thickened portion of the container therebetween affords a substantial hand grip, said thick upper portion also having extensions depending on .opposite sides of said panel portion to reenforce the corners of the container, said upper portion including said stub handle portion, and said depending extensions being of substantially the same uniform thickness.

CARL J. DUNZWEILER. 

